PORT CHALMERS AFFAIRS.

Evening Star, Issue 20666, 13 December 1930, Page 22

PORT CHALMERS AFFAIRS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —The letter on the above in your issue of the 10th has my hearty support. As the writer mentions, this report from the gas manager was never read or dealt with by the council, neither was a copy put on tho table, and yet they have tho audacity to hand it to tho Press for publication. Things are not going well with this gas business. A very largo sum. is taken Irora the general account to keep this business running. The debit at present is £1,342, all of which has to come put of the general account. Tho majority of the council arc trying to keep the expenditure down to a minimum, hut at least two members of tho Gas Committee appear to the write'* to be undei tho mesmeric influence of tho gas manager. The present manager was appointed; in fact, he offered to do tho work single-handed; but what do wo find? A relation has been taken on. and his wages for the month are in the vicinity of £25. That is the oneman job. Applications wore called for a gas foreman. Alter doing the work lor a short time the covincil in its wisdom made him gas engineer. That is ■where and when the trouble started, as one cannot expect an engineer to shovel coal; but 1 never knew that a local body had the power to grant degrees. * Then we have a showroom which is costing £4O a year to run. Does it justify its existence? I say no. Then wo have tho matter of tho sale of tar. Do the ratepayers know that tho gas manager receives the sum of /3d for every gallon that is sold to the public? It has been found necessary, owing to tho scarcity of funds, to pul the outside workers on short tune, and yet within tho last three months a member of tho stalf has had an increase in his pay to tho extent of £25, making liis pay now £3OO. It appears to mo a bit inconsistent. It is costing too mucli to run this little borough, which is feeling the bad times. The debit to-day in the general account is about £4,133. Tho writer of tho letter referred to suggests that the drainage of Mussel Bay be an unemployed relief work, but under the conditions laid down it would have to bo completed by' the end ot January. As it is a complicated bit ol work it will take some, time, and another objection is that the work will le Carried , oub .iii conjunction with the Harbour Board . and by contract. Hut I ‘ understand some work (x’ohef work) is now being arranged by the council which will find employment for a number of men for a few weeks. I trust tho council may be successful in having this work put in hand at once, as there is no. doubt there is a great deal of unemployment about.—l. am, etc., ; ■ j.s.m. December 10.